Pièces Permutation
by Pansychic27213
Summary: A short glimpse into the struggle of the skele-bros post W. D. Gaster. [younger brother!Sans, older brother!Papyrus]
**A/N: I wanna write something poetic here... but I'm in a really Sans-y mood...**

Pièces Permutation

"Big brother!" The smaller skeleton called cheerfully, waving with a big, goofy smile. The older brother turned around slowly; his eyes widened comically in disbelief, much like those of a cartoon character.

"SANS!" The taller monster ran forward, hoping he could reach his little sibling in time. That was not a stable tree! "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DEMAND THAT YOU STAY THERE! DO NOT MOVE!"

"Papyrus?" The tiny child questioned nervously. He wondered what he'd done wrong now. "What-"

"IT IS NOT SAFE! STAY STILL!" The caped skeleton ordered. His hands trembled as he pulled at the tree, trying to climb up. Everything felt zoned in on his poor, innocent, _fragile_ brother. Ever since the accident, his brother's health had become the lowest in town, and he could not afford for anything to happen to him.

"Guess I'll just... _hang_ in there!" Sans piped up, grinning.

"SANS! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"

"You know you love-" Sans yelped and scrambled. He clung to the branch with his whole body, trembling. The wooden limb creaked precariously under his small weight. "-me!"

"HOLD ON, SANS. I AM ALMOST THERE," Papyrus assured as he reached for the next twisted rung in his climb.

"P-Pap?" Sans breathed. The wood was cracking. His breath hitched, and he tried to reach for his older brother. "I-I'm gonna-"

The branch broke.

With a short cry, Sans fell to the ground, luckily avoiding hitting any of the branches on the way down. Papyrus screamed in horror and lunged after his baby brother.

"SANS!"

He carefully cradled the boy's skull and checked for visible injuries. Slowly, the small skeleton's eyes opened and peered up at Papyrus. There were tears in them for a moment before they faded away.

"Hey," Sans cracked a grin. "It's not that bad. The snow broke my fall." He shifted, then winced. "And my arm." Papyrus checked it with a breathless caution. It was only fractured; he almost fainted in relief.

"DO YOU HURT ANY WHERE ELSE, SANS?" The taller skeleton questioned. He was still checking for other damage, but there might be injuries he couldn't see.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I hit my funny bone..."

"SANS-"

"...but I'm not finding it very _humerus_."

"REALLY, SANS?!"

The younger monster erupted into an embarrassingly long stream of giggles. He tried to cover his mouth in an attempt to save face, but trying to move his injured arm just made his eyes tear up again. "Ow, ow, ow."

Papyrus carefully scooped his brother up and adjusted him to jostle his arm as little as possible. Then they set out for home. They were silent for most of the trip, but when they passed Grillby's, Papyrus began to speak.

"YOU ARE NOT FUNNY, SANS," he started.

"Don't you mean _punny_ -"

"I AM SERIOUS THIS TIME, SANS. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN GRIEVOUSLY INJURED," the older brother scolded.

"Aw, c'mon," Sans rolled his eyes. "You'll always be there to catch me and pick me up again." Papyrus frowned sadly, staring out at the snow.

"SOMEDAY, I WILL NOT BE HERE," he declared, as quiet for him as if he had whispered. "SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN TO ME, EVENTUALLY, AND I WON'T BE HERE. YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF."

"Pap-"

"I JUST WANT YOU TO BE SAFE. YOU COULD HAVE DIED!" Papyrus shouted. His arms clenched spasmodically around his little brother's body. The younger skeleton looked up with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered. He bowed his head, trying to hide his tears. He still leaned into his big brother's chest plate. "I didn't think that was gunna happen... I should use my big ol' stupid head, huh?"

"YOU ARE NOT STUPID. JUST VERY RECKLESS. NOW, I WILL MAKE SOME SPAGHETTI TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER," Papyrus pushed open the door to their little house. It used to feel very warm and welcoming. Then the accident happened and everything became very cold and distant.

The older skeleton wrapped his brother's arm carefully and tied it to the child's chest to prevent further injury. With Papyrus's meager salary from working at the outpost, they couldn't afford to go to the hospital. They could barely afford to keep the power on, but neither mentioned that.

Papyrus moved the the kitchen. He started with his usual fluttering about when making pasta, but after a few minutes, he slowed. His hands rested on the counter, and his head bowed. His shoulders trembled. It'd been _this_ close... He almost lost his perfect little brother... The only thing he had left.

A few tears dripped on the counter.

After a few moments, he gathered himself and moved on. His little brother needed food, and that's what he had to deal with right now. It never did any good to mope around or focus on little things. Sans was okay now, and he could _do_ this.

Papyrus was already boiling the noodles when he realized there was no sauce ingredients left. He paused, unsure what to do. What else did they have?

A bottle of ketchup, some old bread, and a half-gallon of milk.

Hesitantly, he peeked out at Sans (who was already falling asleep) before he went to the Money Jar and checked what they had. Not much. Definitely not enough to buy fresh vegetables, any kind of meat, or any cheese. Maybe not even enough groceries to last until his next paycheck.

Papyrus sighed lowly, defeated.

After the accident, he thought he could do everything himself. Buy all the food. Pay the bills. Raise Sans. But he seemed to be failing at all those things, and it was dragging the skeleton brothers through the mud. Papyrus was fading fast, and he could see the same thing starting to happen with Sans.

He couldn't afford for Sans to fade.

Papyrus stared at the mostly empty fridge, and he was filled with determination. Being older than Sans, and with better health, he really didn't need to eat as much. Until they could get more groceries, he would ration his intake. He could do this.

"SANS!" He called, and scooped some noodles on to a plate. A tad bit disgusted, he poured ketchup all over his little brother's plate. The tiny skeleton toddled into the kitchen, and Papyrus set up his place at the table. "HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

"A little better," Sans smiled. He finally looked at the pasta. "Um... Pap, what's this?"

"SPAGHETTI!" The elder crowed, hands on his hips. He pushed up a proud, happy face. Sans stared at him.

"You put... ketchup on my spaghetti?"

"YES. I THOUGHT WE MIGHT TRY SOMETHING NEW."

"But you hate ketchup!" Sans cried, with wide, innocent eyes.

"YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TRY NEW THINGS," Papyrus advised. Sans leaned back in his seat and watched his older brother skeptically.

"Yeah? And where's your ketchup-spaghetti?" He questioned; his chin tipped up challengingly.

"IT'S GETTING COLD," the taller skeleton motioned to his brother's plate. When had Sans become so perceptive?!

"You're avoiding the subject," Sans frowned. He shoved some noodles in his mouth, positively glowing at the ketchup flavor. "But that's okay. I'll find out eventually."

"EVERYTHING'S FINE," Papyrus assured. "I HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL." And he _could_ always appeal to Undyne for an advancement on his paycheck...

"I know you do," Sans smiled. He ate for a little bit, staring pensively at the table. When his plate was clean, he dumped it in the sink and disappeared upstairs.

Papyrus slumped at the table, head in hands. Should he tell Sans about their money problems, or should he hide it? How badly was this going to effect them? What was the best way to survive until the next paycheck?

"Papyrus?"

The skeleton looked up sharply in surprise, soon finding himself face to face with a star-shaped piggy bank. His little brother dropped the object on the table before racing back upstairs. Papyrus stared after him, then slowly turned to the cheap container. He carefully unplugged the bottom and watched as far too many coins fell out.

How had _Sans_ saved _this_ much?!

Counting it out, Papyrus realized they would be perfectly fine for the next _two_ paychecks, but he wondered if it was really okay for him to use his little brother's savings. What if Sans had been storing up until he could buy something he really wanted? What if Papyrus's failure took that away from him?

The elder monster shuffled tiredly through the money, until he found a little slip of paper.

"Dear future Sans," he read aloud. "If you're reading this, remember! This is the emergency money! You have to save it until you or Pap really need it! Love, past Sans."

Silent tears hit the table, and Papyrus grinned. He carefully set aside some of the money, sliding the rest back into the piggy bank. When he was finished, he slipped upstairs and returned the star to its rightful place in Sans room. He gave Sans a gentle peck on the forehead as he drifted past.

"Thanks, little brother."

 **A/N: I'm kinda in a depressed slump right now, guys. So it would really help if you could tell me what you thought of this and if I portrayed these characters well. There's gonna be another story kinda like this, with Papyrus taking care of Sans. Sans will be the older brother, and a adult, but it should still be interesting?**

 **QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What is your favorite AU for Undertale? I vote... Um... Under-... After-... -something. I vote something. Definitely.**


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